


why'd it have to be you?

by xxvoltagexx



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-17 14:02:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29842617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxvoltagexx/pseuds/xxvoltagexx
Summary: by then, edward had gathered that the experiments occurring at arkham asylum were less than humane. what he could never have seen coming was the fact that the head doctor had a soft spot for him.short and to the point. i need more pre-scarecrow jon content
Relationships: Jonathan Crane/Edward Nygma
Comments: 3
Kudos: 18





	why'd it have to be you?

Arkham Asylum had never been a welcoming place. What intrigued the great Edward Nygma was the institution’s recent shift towards scientific research, a movement headed by staff member Jonathan Crane. At first, there was really nothing intriguing about it; all Edward had noticed was that his psychiatrist came to work in high spirits more often than not, which made their time together all the more enjoyable.

Jonathan’s job was not particularly complex; although a veritable genius in his field, he was no  _ therapist _ , and as such relegated his duties to those of psychopharmacology. More charismatic patients, Edward included, remarked that sessions with Doctor Crane held the finest locker room talk in all of Arkham. This being said, it was no surprise that he was generally well-liked by patients and staff alike; although not a social man, his gossip provided both him and those around him with a sort of entertainment so lacking in the institution. 

In time, however, Edward, with his keen eye for detail, began to notice changes throughout Arkham; first subtle, but soon impossible to ignore. He was assigned to another psychiatrist shortly after the research program’s launch, something he and other patients accepted only begrudgingly. Patients began going missing for extended stretches of time. Most assumed they were sent to solitary isolation, as was common in the asylum, but Edward quickly noticed that they returned much madder than when they left. Unstable. Subdued. Afraid. And Edward, being the  _ genius _ detective that he was, wanted to get to the bottom of it - and he wanted to get to the bottom of it before anyone else could. He promptly inquired about what it would take to participate in Arkham’s research, and beamed the day a nurse arrived to whisk him away to the asylum’s repurposed basement level.

What occurred next was standard scientific procedure, or so Edward assumed; his records were pulled up, he was made to sign a pile of documents that he hardly even skimmed, and soon found himself sat down in an unimpressive chair in an unimpressive room, the hum of dim fluorescent lights threatening to drive him insane. He let out a sharp exhale. Maybe it was this damn environment that drove people mad, he thought to himself. Maybe it was the  _ boredom _ . Just as Edward began to consider the possibility that Arkham was just _haunted_ , the doorknob turned. The doctor’s imposing figure slipped through the doorway, gently clutching a clipboard in his arms. His movements were in a way idly graceful, but suddenly stopped when his eyes met Edward’s. 

"..And what are  _ you _ doing here?"

"Contributing to science." 

Jonathan sighed and pushed his glasses up. "I never pegged you as the type."

Edward put on a smug grin, causing Jonathan to squint his eyes in response. 

“..Excuse me, nurse?” Jonathan began, pointing at the man sitting in the chair in front of him. “This one is unfit for testing. Escort him back to his cell, if you would.”

Edward’s breath hitched - he sighed obstinately. ‘Unfit for testing..’ The  _ nerve.. _ !! Edward knew he had never  _ once _ been unfit for  _ anything _ in his entire life, and he wasn’t about to let some unqualified crackpot  _ fraud _ tell him otherwise. 

“Excuse me!” Edward exclaimed. “I assure you I am  _ more _ than fit for testing! Go on, check my records!” 

Jonathan glared daggers at him before turning his focus back to the nurse in the nearest hallway. “Escort Mister Nygma to his cell  _ immediately _ or  _ you’re _ gonna be the one in this chair.”

And with that, Edward was dragged - quite literally - back to his cell. He solved no mysteries that day; in fact, he only had more questions. He spent hours carefully deliberating what could have happened and why. Meanwhile, Jonathan leaned against the wall, rubbing his temples. 

“All due respect, Doctor Crane…” A nurse broke the silence. Jonathan’s head shot up. “There was nothing in Edward Nygma’s records or medical history that indicated that he would be in any way unfit for current testing protocol.” 

“...If you’d like to question my methods, you can leave.” 

The conversation ended as abruptly as it began. Jonathan was left to his own devices once again. He sighed to himself. Why did it have to be  _ him _ ?

Any other resident of Arkham in that chair and Jonathan would have had a field day performing his less-than-scientific experiments on them, watching them writhe and scream and claw at their restraints like rabid animals. ..Not Edward, though.  _ Why _ ? Jonathan clenched his fist. Why, damn it, why  _ him _ ? There was something about the way Edward carried himself, something about the articulate manner in which he spoke, something about those damn  _ riddles… _ Jonathan was never a fan of riddles, nor was he particularly good at solving them, but he quickly began to associate them with his time spent with Edward. He wondered if Edward ever felt the same way about anything  _ he _ said… 

Ugh,  _ God, _ this was stupid. At the very least, that’s what Jonathan thought to himself.

Doctor Jonathan Crane had become attached to a patient. 

He had developed a  _ soft spot _ . 

A soft spot for a complete  _ nutcase _ . 

Jonathan sighed. Maybe  _ he _ was the nutcase.


End file.
